Can I get money if I was injured in an accident by a Hit and Run driver?

Yes. When a car hits your motorcycle and keeps going, you can still receive compensation for your injuries even if you don’t know who hit you. Uninsured claims can usually be resolved in months rather than years.

When the identity of the car is unknown, you have a different type of claim called an uninsured claim with a different set of rules. It’s best not to speak with your insurance company because in a hit and run accident, your insurance company becomes an adversary instead of being on your side.

Hit & Run Motorcycle Accident

You have uninsured coverage on your motorcycle insurance policy to reimburse you for injuries caused by a hit-and-run driver and other accidents where you cannot get money from the car which caused your accident.

How much money can I get in a Hit & Run accident?

You can get up to the limit of your uninsured coverage. For instance, if you have $300,000 uninsured coverage, you can not get more than $300,000. In most motorcycle accidents, we would be able to get you the maximum coverage amount.

Uninsured coverage is required under New York State law. Your motorcycle insurance policy must have minimum coverage of $25,000. Hopefully, you purchased additional uninsured coverage which is available with most insurance companies up to $250,000; $300,000; $500,000 and much more with some other insurance companies. We will find out how much uninsured coverage you have.

Should I report the Hit & Run accident to my insurance company?

No. An attorney should do it and we will do it for you. A hit & run accident must be reported must be reported within 90 days of the date of your motorcycle accident or as soon as reasonably practicable.

When you call your insurance company to report your motorcycle accident, you will speak with an insurance representative who will use a question guideline and has been trained to obtain answers which can be used to deny your claim. It’s best to call us first. Never speak with anyone else’s insurance company. If you already spoke to your insurance company, don’t speak with them again.

One of the things your insurance company will look at is how you described your accident. They will try to determine if a car cut off your motorcycle or if there was no contact between you and the car or truck.

What if there was no contact between the car and my motorcycle?

Sometimes, a car your motorcycle and stops but the police lets the driver go because there was no contact. If you have the plate number of the car, you still have a case against the driver. If you don’t have the plate number, the accident is the same as a hit and run. While the law requires contact in a hit and run accident, that doesn’t mean that we can’t get money for you.

We’re experienced with Hit and Run claims where there is no evidence of contact and have won these cases for our clients even when other lawyers did not want the case. If another attorney said you don’t have a case, call us now! Call 7 days / 7 nights 1-800-487-8911

We represented a motorcyclist who was on an exit ramp when her motorcycle went into a guard rail. There was no evidence of another car hitting her motorcycle. The police officer wrote on the police accident report that she lost control of her motorcycle and strike a guard rail there was no indication of any other vehicle involved.

Nationwide insurance refused to pay and filed a petition in New York Supreme Court in Suffolk County requesting an order to permanently stop us from continuing with our claim at arbitration. We opposed the petition and won the right to have a hearing in Supreme Court to determine if there was contact between the motorcyclist and another vehicle. At the hearing, the insurance company had the police officer testify that the motorcyclist told him she lost control of her motorcycle on sand. We showed that the police officer appeared to have a problem with motorcyclists and that he screwed up his investigation of the accident. The judge ruled in our favor stating that he did not believe the police officer. Nationwide paid the entire insurance policy to our client.

We also have many other uninsured claims where there was no evidence of contact or a hit and run accident and we were successful in preventing the insurance company from being entitled to a hearing to determine contact which means that the insurance company lost before they even got started.

In the image below, the only evidence of contact with another car which struck a motorcycle in this hit-and-run accident was a tiny streak of blue paint on the motorcycle exhaust. This was enough to successfully make a claim against the motorcyclist’s $300,000 uninsured insurance policy.

Blue paint mark on a motorcycle exhaust proved this accident was a Hit & Run

Even if you have already spoken with your insurance company, call us. Your insurance company will also look for information from many other sources which they can use to deny your claim. For instance, this information can come from hospital records, doctor records, your MV-104 and other sources. We know how to combat evidence against you.

Your insurance company will require you to testify at an Examination Under Oath at which you should absolutely be represented by a lawyer. Your testimony will be compared with the statement you gave by telephone and statements you gave to the hospital and other doctors. Take a look at how we prepare you for your testimony.

We advise that you do not give any statements to your insurance company on the phone or written reports to your insurance company until you speak with us. However, don’t worry if you already did.

In a hit-and-run accident, a police report must have been filed within 24 hours of the accident. However, it’s always best to call the police from the accident scene. Even if you don’t think you’re injured, you may find out later that you have a serious injury.

An uninsured claim for injuries should be filed within 90 days of the date of your motorcycle accident or as soon as reasonably practicable. If you already waited too long, it still may be possible to file a claim. If you haven’t called us immediately after your accident, please don’t delay even one more day. Call us now, 7 days / 7 nights at 1-800-487-8911

NewYorkMotorcycleAccidentLawyer.com provides general information about motorcycle accidents and does not provide legal advice for any particular case. Please call us for a free consultation about your motorcycle accident. You must have a signed retainer to create a lawyer/client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney Advertising.
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